Water Tap Assembly

ABSTRACT

A water tap assembly for a one-hole sink, includes: a main body having a water passage, cold and hot water passages, a cold-water inlet and a hot-water inlet for fluidly in communication with the cold and hot water passages respectively, wherein each of the cold and hot water passages has one end portion connected fluidly and respectively to the water passage; a cold-water control valve mounted rotatably between the cold water passage and the water passage; and a hot-water control valve mounted rotatably between the hot water passage and the water passage. The main body further includes a connection pipe that is adapted to be connected with the one-hole sink and that defines the cold-water inlet and the hot-water inlet such that cold or hot water in the water passages can flow out to an exterior of the main body through a water outlet of the water passage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a water tap assembly, and more particularly to a water tap assembly that is adapted to be mounted on a one-hole sink and that has two handles.

2. The Prior Arts

As we all know, a water tap assembly is an indispensable device in our daily life and houses since the water tap assembly can provide large or small amount of water according to our needs in addition to economizing the water source. Conventionally, water tap assemblies are installed in kitchens, bathrooms and toilets, where water is mostly needed.

Several types of water tap assembly are available in the market and have different structures. Due to installing restriction, the water tap assembly should match with the configuration of a sink, upon which it is to be installed. In other words, not all water tap assemblies can be mounted on a desired sink. Presently, two types of water tap assembly are available for mounting on one-hole or two-hole sink. To be more specific, the water tap assembly to be mounted should match with the designated hole of the sink. A conventional one-hole sink requires a water tap assembly having only one connection tube and a handle while a conventional two-hole sink requires a water tap assembly having two connection tubes and two handles such that the latter water tap assembly cannot be mounted on the former one-hole sink, thereby restricting the usage of water tap assembly and causing inconvenient to the user of the water tap assembly.

In case of replacing a sink or a water tap assembly (generally the water tap assembly), due to their different structure and if the purchased tap water assembly cannot be installed on the existing sink, the user may feel discomfort since it is time-wasting or laborious to return the purchased tap water assembly to the shop. Most people are not familiar with the plumbing tools and due to different structure of water tap assemblies, a buyer may accidentally buy a wrong ones and causing difficulties to the plumber or the shop owner. Hence, a novel water tap assembly is needed in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a water tap assembly that is adapted to be mounted on a one-hole sink or a three-hole sink and that has two handles, thereby eliminating the problem of selecting and economizing a storage space for the manufacturers, which, in turn, reduces the manufacturing expense.

A water tap assembly of the present invention for a one-hole sink, includes a main body, a cold-water control valve and a hot-water control valve.

The main body has a water passage provided with a water outlet, a cold water passage, a hot water passage, a cold-water inlet and a hot-water inlet for fluidly in communication with the cold water passage and the hot water passage respectively, wherein each of the cold water passage and the hot water passage has on end portion connected fluidly and respectively to the water passage such that cold or hot water in the cold water passage and the hot water passage can flow out to an exterior of the main body through the water outlet. The cold-water control valve is mounted rotatably between the cold water passage and the water passage. The hot-water control valve is mounted rotatably between the hot water passage and the water passage, wherein, the main body further has a connection pipe that is adapted to be mounted on the one-hole sink and that defines the cold-water inlet and the hot-water inlet.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the hot-water control valve includes a first operating handle while the cold-water control valve includes a second operating handle to facilitate operation of a desired handle so as to permit outflow of cold or hot water from the water outlet.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the connection pipe has an outer diameter configured to match with an inner diameter of a connection hole of the sink, thereby eliminating the problem of the installing a water tap assembly having two handles on a one-hole sink according to the prior art. Note that since the water tap assembly of the present invention can also be mounted on a three-hole sink, the problem of selecting a desired type of water tap assembly during the purchase can be avoided. In other words, there is no return of the purchase water tap assembly as encountered in the prior art, hence providing time-saving and non-pollution to the environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded and perspective view of a water tap assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates how the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a one-hole sink; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a water tap assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein, FIG. 1 is an exploded and perspective view of a water tap assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a water tap assembly 100 of the present invention accordingly includes: a main body 10, a decoration casing 50, a decoration base 51, a cold-water control valve 30 and a hot-water control valve 20.

The main body 10 is disposed in such a manner to be sandwiched between the decoration casing 50 and the decoration base 51. The main body 10 has a water passage 15 provided with a water outlet 16, a cold water passage 14, a hot water passage 13, a cold-water inlet 12 and a hot-water inlet 11 for fluidly in communication with the cold water passage 14 and the hot water passage 13 respectively, wherein each of the cold water passage 14 and the hot water passage 13 has on end portion connected fluidly and respectively to the water passage 15 such that cold or hot water in the cold water passage 14 and the hot water passage 13 can flow out to an exterior of the main body 10 through the water outlet 16.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that in this embodiment, the cold-water control valve 30 is mounted rotatably between the cold water passage 14 and the water passage 15, and has an operating first handle 21 while the hot-water control valve 20 is mounted rotatably between the hot water passage 13 and the water passage 15, and has an operating second handle 31 such that a user can optionally manipulate the first and second handles 21, 31 in order to obtain the desired water flowing out from the water outlet 16.

As best shown in FIG. 1, the hot-water control valve 20 is formed with an opening 22 for passage of hot water therethrough upon rotation of the first handle 21 to a desired location while the cold-water control valve 30 is formed with another opening 32 for passage of cold water therethrough upon rotation of the second handle 31 to a desired location so that a mixture of hot and cold water can be discharged from the water outlet 16.

To be more specific, a hot-water supply source (not visible) is connected fluidly with one end of the hot-water inlet 11 such that the hot water from the hot-water supply source can flow into the water passage 15 after passing through the hot water passage 13 and the opening 22 of the hot-water control valve 20 and is later discharged from the water outlet 16. In the same manner, a cold-water supply source (not visible) is connected fluidly with one end of the cold-water inlet 12 such that the cold water from the cold-water supply source can flow into the water passage 15 after passing through the cold water passage 14 and the opening 32 of the cold-water control valve 30 and is later discharged from the water outlet 16.

An important aspect to note that rotation of the first handle 21 (the hot-water control valve 20) or the second handle 31 (the cold-water control valve 30) with respect to the water passage 15 varies the dimension of the openings 22, 32, thereby varying the amount of hot or cold water entering into the water passage 15 before being discharged from the water outlet 16. In this embodiment, a clockwise rotation of the first and second handles 21, 31 can align the openings 22, 32 of the hot-water control valve 20 and the cold-water control valve 30 with the water passage 15 while an anti-clockwise rotation of the first and second handles 21, 31 can stagger the openings 22, 32 of the hot-water control valve 20 and the cold-water control valve 30 with the water passage 15, thereby blocking the openings 22, 32 and thus hot and cold water cannot enter into the water passage 15. Note that rotation of the first and second handles 21, 31 in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions are explained for better understanding of the present invention, and should not be limited only thereto. Any other means can be applied so long as they can provide the desired function and features.

To be more specific, when hot water is required, the first handle 21 can be rotated in the clockwise direction so as to align the opening 22 with the water passage 15 such that hot water can be discharged from the water outlet 16. When cold water is required, the second handle 31 can be rotated in the clockwise direction so as to align the opening 32 with the water passage 15 such that cold water can be discharged from the water outlet 16. Of course, the water tap assembly of the present invention should be mounted on a sink, like the sink in a kitchen, such that the water discharged from the water outlet 16 can be ejected into the sink.

In the event, only warm water is required, the first and the second handles 21, 31 can be rotated to a half of the entire rotation length so as to align only a half of each of the openings 22, 32 with respect to the water passage 15, where the cold and hot water mix together to form the warm water within the water passage 15 and will be discharged from the water outlet 16 afterward. By adjusting the dimensions of the openings 22, 32 with respect to the water passage 15, water with a desired temperature can be discharged from the water outlet 16 of the water tap assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates how the water tap assembly 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a one-hole sink 40, wherein, the main body 10 has a connection pipe 17 mounted in a connection hole (one-hole) 41 of the sink 40 for connection with a water supply source (not visible). Of course, some fastener screws should be applied for installation of the connection pipe 17 within the connection hole 41 of the sink 40. Note that the connection pipe 17 has an outer diameter equivalent to or smaller than so as to match with an inner diameter of the connection hole 41 of the sink 40.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a water tap assembly 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which, the decoration casing and the decoration base are excluded and the hot-water control valve 20 and the cold-water control valve 30 are mounted directly on the main body 10 while the other structure is the same as the first embodiment.

Note that in the second embodiment, the cold-water inlet 12 and the hot-water inlet 11 are formed within the connection pipe 17. In other words, the connection pipe 17 defines the cold-water inlet 12 and the hot-water inlet 11 such that once the connection pipe 17 is installed in the sink 40 the cold-water inlet 12 and the hot-water inlet 11 are respectively connected with the hot and cold water supply sources, which are preferably made from metals or heat-resistant plastic materials.

One aspect to note is that the connection pipe should have fastening thread with a diameter of 32 mm and can also be installed on a three-hole sink, thereby eliminating the problems encountered during usage of the conventional water tap assembly. In other words, the problem of selecting a desired type of water tap assembly during the purchase can be avoided and there is no return of the purchase water tap assembly as encountered in the prior art, hence providing time-saving and non-pollution to the environment.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A water tap assembly for a one-hole sink, comprising: a main body having a water passage provided with a water outlet, said main body further having a cold water passage and a hot water passage, a cold-water inlet and a hot-water inlet for fluidly in communication with said cold water passage and said hot water passage respectively, wherein each of said cold water passage and said hot water passage has on end portion connected fluidly and respectively to said water passage such that cold or hot water in said cold water passage and said hot water passage can flow out to an exterior of said main body through said water outlet; a cold-water control valve mounted rotatably between said cold water passage and said water passage; and a hot-water control valve mounted rotatably between said hot water passage and said water passage; wherein, said main body further has a connection pipe that is adapted to be mounted on the one-hole sink and that defines said cold-water inlet and said hot-water inlet.
 2. The water tap assembly according to claim 1, wherein said hot-water control valve includes an operating first handle while said cold-water control valve includes an operating second handle.
 3. The water tap assembly according to claim 1, wherein said connection pipe has an outer diameter configured to match with an inner diameter of a connection hole of the sink. 